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I am working at a new field placement which requires doing an assessment in the first session, which lasts 2 hours. How can I do this before I have established rapport and a therapeutic relationship with the client?

It is challenging to complete an assessment in your first contact with a client; however, there are also advantages to gathering comprehensive information about the client’s history and current circumstances early in the treatment process. I will outline some ways to approach the assessment that will facilitate rapport and relationship building so the session will have a therapeutic outcome as well as meeting your agency requirement.

I would first recommend that you talk with the client about the reasons for the assessment when you schedule the initial appointment. Express your desire to be helpful to the client and state that learning about his current symptoms, life situation and history will make the treatment more effective in working toward his goals. This communicates the message that your purpose and interest is aligned with the client’s, rather than simply meeting a bureaucratic requirement.

Before the assessment session, familiarize yourself with the format of the assessment template or report. You may want to bring a copy of the assessment template into the session or a list of general areas for questioning. If there are specific questionnaires for the client to complete, bring those with you as well. You may find it helpful to role play the introduction of the assessment with your supervisor or a colleague before you meet with your first client. The more comfortable and confident you feel, the more easily you will develop a therapeutic relationship with the client during the assessment session.

When you start the session, remind the client of what you discussed in your scheduling conversation about the assessment contributing to the effectiveness of treatment. Then begin with the client’s primary concern in seeking treatment and ask follow up and clarifying questions covering different areas of the assessment as they emerge from the conversation. It is more facilitating of the therapeutic relationship to engage in a dialogue that is relatively fluid and follows the client’s lead rather than imposing a standard order of questioning. It is also preferable to ask open-ended questions which allow the client to determine the direction and content of what he shares. The client’s answer to “can you tell me what your family life was like as a child?” will tell you more about him than the answer to “did you grow up in a two-parent or single parent household?”

If your agency practice requires you to be directive rather than following the client’s lead, you should acknowledge this at the beginning of the session and explain that this is different from the structure of future therapy sessions. For example, you could say “The assessment format we use here requires me to ask you about things in a fairly structured way, so I’ll be leading the conversation today more than I will in our future sessions. Please let me know if you feel uncomfortable about my approach at any time, or if there is something you want to share with me that isn’t directly related to my questions.”

Remember that you are asking the client about events and experiences that may be painful, may bring up feelings of shame and which the client may want to avoid rather than disclose. Expressing empathy, conveying acceptance rather than judgment and reflecting your understanding of what the client is saying will create a therapeutic atmosphere. For example, if the client describes a childhood history of physical abuse and adult relationships involving domestic violence, you might respond with a statement like “It sounds like your childhood taught you to expect physical violence as part of intimate relationships. It’s not surprising that you found that pattern repeating in your adult relationships.” Although you will not have time to explore the details of the client’s experience in the assessment session, you can respond therapeutically to the material he shares.

When you approach topics that you expect or know will be difficult for the client to discuss, it is helpful to let him know this information is asked of all clients and to ask his permission to inquire about those areas. For example, many clients come into treatment with shame and denial associated with past and current substance use. You can introduce the topic therapeutically by saying “We ask all clients here about their use of substances because we find that to be related to aspects of mental health. Is it all right if I ask you some questions about your past and current use of alcohol and other drugs?”

When you follow these tips, you’ll find the assessment session results in a positive therapeutic relationship as well as information that enhances your understanding of the client. I hope you find these suggestions helpful in completing assessments in the first session. Please email me with comments, questions or suggestions for future blog topics.